US Code

Public Law 119-73 (01/23/2026)

8 U.S.C. § 1551

Immigration and Naturalization Service

There is created and established in the Department of Justice an Immigration and Naturalization Service.

Feb. 14, 1903, ch. 552, § 432 Stat. 826June 29, 1906, ch. 3592, § 134 Stat. 596Mar. 4, 1913, ch. 141, § 337 Stat. 73754 Stat. 1238(, ; , ; , ; Ex. Ord. No. 6166, § 14, ; 1940 Reorg. Plan No. V, eff. , 5 F.R. 2223, .)

Editorial Notes

Codification

section 342 of Title 5Pub. L. 89–554, § 180 Stat. 378Section was formerly classified to prior to the general revision and enactment of Title 5, Government Organization and Employees, by , , .

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Short Title of 2000 Amendment

Pub. L. 106–313, title II, § 201114 Stat. 1262

“This title [enacting subchapter II of this chapter] may be cited as the ‘Immigration Services and Infrastructure Improvements Act of 2000’.”
, , , provided that:

Abolition of Immigration and Naturalization Service and Transfer of Functions

section 291(a) of Title 6The Immigration and Naturalization Service was abolished by , Domestic Security, upon completion of all transfers from the Immigration and Naturalization Service as provided for by chapter 1 of Title 6.

section 251 of Title 6section 542 of Title 6Functions of the Commissioner of Immigration and Naturalization performed under the Border Patrol program, the detention and removal program, the intelligence program, the investigations program, and the inspections program, and all personnel, assets, and liabilities pertaining to such programs, were transferred to the Under Secretary for Border and Transportation Security of the Department of Homeland Security by and the Department of Homeland Security Reorganization Plan of , as modified, set out as a note under .

section 271(b) of Title 6Functions of the Commissioner of Immigration and Naturalization relating to adjudications of immigrant visa petitions, adjudications of naturalization petitions, adjudications of asylum and refugee applications, adjudications performed at service centers, and all other adjudications performed by the Immigration and Naturalization Service, and all personnel, infrastructure, and funding provided to the Commissioner in support of such functions, were transferred to the Director of the Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services of the Department of Homeland Security by and the Department of Homeland Security Reorganization Plan of , as modified.

section 341(b)(2) of Title 6Functions performed by the Statistics Branch of the Office of Policy and Planning of the Immigration and Naturalization Service with respect to the functions of the Commissioner referred to in the two preceding paragraphs were transferred to the Under Secretary for Management of the Department of Homeland Security by former and the Department of Homeland Security Reorganization Plan of , as modified.

section 279(a) of Title 6Functions under the immigration laws of the United States with respect to the care of unaccompanied alien children that were vested by statute in, or performed by, the Commissioner of Immigration and Naturalization (or any officer, employee, or component of the Immigration and Naturalization Service) were transferred to the Director of the Office of Refugee Resettlement of the Department of Health and Human Services by and the Department of Homeland Security Reorganization Plan of , as modified.

section 275(b)(2) of Title 6section 279 of Title 6section 279(f)(3) of Title 6Personnel of the Department of Justice employed in connection with the functions transferred by part E (§ 271 et seq.) of subchapter IV of chapter 1 of Title 6 (and functions that the Secretary of Homeland Security determines are properly related to the functions of the Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services), were transferred to the Director of the Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services by and the Department of Homeland Security Reorganization Plan of , as modified. Personnel of the Department of Justice employed in connection with the functions transferred by were transferred to the Director of the Office of Refugee Resettlement by and the Department of Homeland Security Reorganization Plan of , as modified.

For treatment of references to any agency, officer, or office, etc. the functions of which were transferred to the Department of Homeland Security, see sections 552(d) and 557 of Title 6.

Independent Comprehensive Management Analysis of Service Operations; Arrangements Respecting, Etc.

Pub. L. 96–132, § 1093 Stat. 1047

“The Attorney General shall make arrangements with an appropriate entity for an independent comprehensive management analysis of the operations of the Immigration and Naturalization Service for the purpose of making such operations efficient and cost effective. After the completion of such analysis, the Attorney General shall promptly submit a report to the appropriate committees of Congress on the results of such analysis together with any administrative or legislative recommendations of the Attorney General to improve the operations of the Service.”
, , , provided that:

Office of Special Investigator; Functions, Establishment, Powers, Etc.

Pub. L. 96–132, § 2293 Stat. 1050Pub. L. 117–286, § 4(b)(25)136 Stat. 4346

“(a)
In order to create an independent and objective unit—
“(1)
to conduct and supervise audits and investigations relating to programs and operations of the Immigration and Naturalization Service,
“(2)
to provide leadership and coordination and recommend policies for activities designed (A) to promote economy, efficiency, and effectiveness in the administration of, and (B) to prevent and detect fraud and abuse in, such programs and operations, and
“(3)
to provide a means for keeping the Commissioner of the Immigration and Naturalization Service and the Congress fully and currently informed about problems and deficiencies relating to the administration of such programs and operations and the necessity for and progress of corrective action,
there is hereby established in the Immigration and Naturalization Service of the Department of Justice an Office of Special Investigator (hereinafter in this section referred to as ‘the Office’).
“(b)
(1)
There shall be at the head of the Office a Special Investigator (hereinafter in this section referred to as ‘the Special Investigator’) who shall be appointed by the Attorney General without regard to political affiliation and solely on the basis of integrity and demonstrated ability in accounting, auditing, financial analysis, law, management analysis, public administration, or investigations. The Special Investigator shall report to and be under the general supervision of the Commissioner, who shall not prevent or prohibit the Special Investigator from initiating, carrying out, or completing any audit or investigation, or from issuing any subpena during the course of any audit or investigation.
“(2)
The Special Investigator may be removed from office by the Attorney General. The Attorney General shall communicate the reasons for any such removal to both Houses of Congress.
“(3)
section 7324 of title 5 For the purposes of of the United States Code, the Special Investigator shall not be considered to be an employee who determines policies to be pursued by the United States in the nationwide administration of Federal laws.
“(4)
The Special Investigator shall, in accordance with applicable laws and regulations governing the civil service—
“(A)
appoint an Assistant Special Investigator for Auditing who shall have the responsibility for supervising the performance of auditing activities relating to programs and operations of the Service, and
“(B)
appoint an Assistant Special Investigator for Investigations who shall have the responsibility for the performance of investigative activities relating to such programs and operations.
“(c)
The following provisions of chapter 4 of title 5, United States Code, shall apply to the Special Investigator, the Office, the Commissioner, and the Service under this section in the same manner as those provisions apply to an Inspector General, an Office, the head of the establishment, and an establishment under such chapter:
“(1)
Section 404 (relating to duties and responsibilities of an Inspector General and the manner in which they are carried out).
“(2)
Section 405 (relating to reports required to be prepared and furnished by or to an Inspector General and their transmittal and availability).
“(3)
Section 406 (relating to the authority of an Inspector General and related administrative provisions).
“(4)
Section 407 (relating to the treatment of employee complaints by an Inspector General).
“(d)
The Attorney General is authorized to appoint such staff as may be necessary to carry out this section.
“(e)
For purposes of this section—
“(1)
the term ‘Service’ means the Immigration and Naturalization Service;
“(2)
the term ‘Department’ means the Department of Justice; and
“(3)
the term ‘Commissioner’ means the Commissioner of Immigration and Naturalization.
“(f)
section 5316 of title 5 The Special Investigator shall be compensated at the rate then payable under of the United States Code for level V of the Executive Schedule.
“(g)
The provisions of this section shall take effect on the date of the enactment of this Act [] and shall cease to have effect the earlier of—
“(1)
3 years after the date of the enactment of this Act; and
“(2)
the establishment of an office of inspector general for the Department of Justice.
“(h)
In addition to any other sums authorized to be appropriated by this Act, there are authorized to be appropriated $376,000 for the fiscal year ending to carry out this section.”
, , , as amended by , , , provided that:

History of Immigration and Naturalization Agencies

Aug. 3, 1882, ch. 37622 Stat. 214Feb. 23, 1887, ch. 22024 Stat. 415act Mar. 3, 1891, ch. 551, § 726 Stat. 1087act Mar. 2, 1895, ch. 177, § 128 Stat. 780act Feb. 14, 1903, ch. 552, § 432 Stat. 825act June 29, 1906, ch. 3592, § 134 Stat. 596act Mar. 4, 1913, ch. 14137 Stat. 736section 901 of Title 554 Stat. 1238By acts , §§ 2, 3, ; , , the administration of the immigration laws then in force was reposed in the Secretary of the Treasury. Subsequently, by , , the office of the Superintendent of Immigration was created as a permanent immigration agency and he in turn was designated Commissioner General of Immigration under the heading “Bureau of Immigration” by , . Upon the establishment of the Department of Commerce and Labor, the Commissioner General of Immigration and the Bureau of Immigration were transferred to that Department by , , and thereafter were redesignated the Bureau of Immigration and Naturalization by , . The Bureau of Immigration and Naturalization was transferred to the Department of Labor upon its establishment by , , and divided into two bureaus to be known as the Bureau of Immigration and the Bureau of Naturalization, respectively. Ex. Ord. No. 6166, § 14, , set out as note under , Government Organization and Employees, again consolidated these bureaus to form the Immigration and Naturalization Service, under a “Commissioner of Immigration and Naturalization”, which was then transferred from the Department of Labor to the Department of Justice by 1940 Reorg. Plan No. V, eff. , 5 F.R. 2223, , set out in the Appendix to Title 5.

Executive Documents

Transfer of Functions

87 Stat. 1091Pub. L. 93–25388 Stat. 50Functions vested by law in Attorney General, Department of Justice, or any other officer or any agency of that Department, with respect to inspection at regular inspection locations at ports of entry of persons, and documents of persons, entering or leaving United States, were to have been transferred to Secretary of the Treasury by 1973 Reorg. Plan No. 2, § 2, eff. , 38 F.R. 15932, , set out in the Appendix to Title 5, Government Organization and Employees. The transfer was negated by section 1(a)(1), (b) of , , , which repealed section 2 of 1973 Reorg. Plan No. 2, eff. .

64 Stat. 1261Functions of all other officers of Department of Justice and functions of all agencies and employees of such Department, with a few exceptions, transferred to Attorney General, with power vested in him to authorize their performance or performance of any of his functions by any of such officers, agencies, and employees, by 1950 Reorg. Plan No. 2, §§ 1, 2, eff. , 15 F.R. 3173, , set out in the Appendix to Title 5. See sections 509 and 510 of Title 28, Judiciary and Judicial Procedure.